Beer-keg washer.



- PATENTED OCT. 22. 1907. G. E. R. ROTHENBUGHER.

BEER KBG WASHER.

APPLIGATION FILED DBO. 2z, 190e.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@50i/humaan m L W PATENTED OCT. 22, 1907.

` G. E. R. ROTHENBUGHER.

'BEER KEG WASHER. APPLICATION FILED 1120.22. 190e.

' 2 SHEETS-HEBT 2.

(g4/wc who@ Ens co., wAsHmaraN, n4 c.

fus NaRRls PET GEORGE E. R. ROTHENBUOHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BEER-KEG WASHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed December 22,1906. Serial No. 349,069.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. R. ROTHENB nonna, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBeer-Keg Washers, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of the device showing a keg in position thereon; Fig. 2a vertical sectional view thereof on the line II-H of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 asimilar view on the line III-Ill of Fig. 2 Fig. 4 a horizontal sectionalview on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 an elevation showing akeg inposition and in section, Fig. G a detail side elevation of the nozzle;and Fig. 7 a detail vertical sectional view thereof on the line VII-VIIof Fig. 6.

One of the many objects of the invention is to provide a beer kegwashing device of simple and very strong construction on which the kegmay be placed and slightly rotated about a vertical axis for the purposeof opening a valve and permitting the washing fluid to enter the keg.The machine is so constructed that a keg may be readily placed thereon,a cradle being provided to receive it and a spraying nozzle beingarranged to extend through the bung hole. Thisnozzle is so constructedthat the washing fluid will issue therefrom in outward enlarging spraysdirected against the ends of the keg, and particularly towards thecorners formed by the staves and the ends of the keg. l have found thatmost of the dirt and gum and foreign matter accumulates at this point.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the frame orcasing of the machine which is supported by the standards 2. The casingis formed with two lower inlet chambers 3 and 4 into which extend thefluid delivery pipes. The washing fluid, preferably water, is deliveredinto the said chambers through pipes 5 and 6, and passes from them tothe next washing machine, where two or more are connectedl together,through pipes 7 and 8. The casing 1 is also formed with two outletchambers 9 and 10, each of said outlet chambers being connected to oneof the inlet chambers through suitable valvecontrolled openings 11. Theoutlet chambers are in communication with a single vertical outletpassage 12 extending upward through the neck 13 of the casing.

Controlling communication between the inlet chamb'ers and the outletchambers are two valves 14 and 15, each of said valves being providedwith a horizontal valve stem 16 which extends through a sleeve 17screwed into the side of the casing. This sleeve at its inner endcarries a valve seat 18 which is threaded in the wall between the inletand outlet chambers. Each valve is held on its seat by a spring 19, saidspring being in turn held in position by means of a screw plug 20threaded in the casing. It will, of course, be understood that thespringmay be'held in place by any suitable means, the screw plug being usedmerely for the purpose of facilitating the insertion of the valve andthe removal of it should it at any time need repair. The ends of thevalve stem project beyond the casing on the same side thereof, theirouter ends being engaged by the valve-operating arms 21 whichare'pivoted on the end of the casing and extend over the ends of thevalve stems, the free ends of said arms engaging a keeper 22 secured tothe valve casing and holding said arms in position. When the valves areseated the valve stems are projected to their fullest extent and thevalve-operating arms engage the inner side of the keeper, as shown veryclearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Mounted to rotate horizontally around the neck 13 of the casing is akeg-supporting cradle 23, said cradle being provided with a centraltubular base 24 which receives the neck of the casing, the lower edge ofsaid base resting on the shoulder 25 at the lower. end of the neck.

This base is provided with arms 2G which are adapted to receive the kegand hold it in position to be washed.

Secured to or formed-integral with the base of the cradle are twodownwardly extending valve-operating lugs 27, said lugs-being adapted toengage the valveoperating arms and to force them inward'to open thevalves when the cradle is rotated about the neck of the machine, as willbe more fully hereinafter described, said valve-operating lugs being onopposite sides of the casing as shown clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Extending outward from the casing on the opposite side thereof from thekeeper 22 is a limiting-stop 28 against which one of the valve-operatinglugs contact to prevent the opposite lug engaging the keeper, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Secured to the upper end of the neck of the casing by screw-threads, orother suitable means, is an upward extending spraying-nozzle 29, saidnozzle being provided with a flange 30 near its lower end adapted toextend out beyond the neck and to hold the cradle in place on the neckagainst accidental upward removal therefrom. The nozzle is provided nearits upper end with the two flattened portions 31 which are perforated,the walls of the perforations converging in such manner that the sprayissuing therefrom will enlarge outwardly in the shape of a cone, thespra'y from said perforations being directed toward the ends of the keg.The upper end of the nozzle is perforated with smaller holes to permit asmall portion of the washing fluid to spray into the upper portion ofthe keg when the keg is in position on the cradle.

The operation of the invention may be briefly described as follows-Hotand/cold water are supplied to the chambers 3 and 4 through the inletpipes. A keg to be washed is placed on the cradle with the nozzleextending into the keg through the bung hole. The keg and the cradle arethen turned to cause one ofthe valveoperating lugs to engage itsvalve-operating arm and to force it inward sufficiently to open thecoperating valve. This permits water to tlow from the inlet chamber tothe outlet chamber and thence upward through the spray nozzle. From thisnozzle it issues in two outwardly enlarging conical sprays which aredirected against the ends of the keg and into the corners formed by thestaves and ends. It is usual to wash the kegs iirst with hot water inorder to dissolve the gum formed therein by the beer, it beingpractically impossible to draw all the beer from the kegs. The Washingwith hot water is continued until the keg is clean then the cradle isrotated to bring the other valve operating lug into contact with itsvalve operating arm to open the valve admitting cold water to thenozzle. After the keg has been washed sufficiently with the cold waterthe cradle is returned to its normal position to permit the cold watervalve to close and the keg is then removed. It will, oi course, beunderstood that any desired washing fluid may be used, but l prefer touse hot and cold water.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A keg washing machine comprising a base having two inlet chambers andtwo outlet chambers, each inlet chamber being in communication with itsoutlet chamber, valves between said chambers, springs normally holdingsaid valves closed, a valve stem connected to each of said valves andprojecting horizontally beyond the base, valve operating arms pivoted onthe base, one of said arms engaging each ot' the valve stems, a keeperto hold said arms in eng gement with the valve stems, an upwardextending tubular neck formed on the base and connected at its lower endwith the outlet chambers in the base, a rotatable keg' support mountedon said neck and provided with upwz d extending keg supporting arms andwith outward and downward extending' valve operating lugs. each of whichis adapted to engage its corresponding valve-operat ing arm when the kegsupport is rotated in the proper direction, whereby when the keg supportis rotated in one direction one of the valves will be opened, and whenit is rotated in the opposite direction the other valve will be opened.

2. A keg washing machine comprising a base having two inlet chambers andtwo outlet chambers, each inlet chamber heilig in communication with itsoutlet chamber', valves between said chambers, springs normally holdingsaid valves closed, a valve stem connected to each of said valves andprojecting horizontally beyond the base, valve operating arms pivoted onthe base, one of said arms engaging each of the valve stems, a keeper tohold said arms in engagement with the valve stems, an upward extendingtubular neck formed on the base and connected at its lower end with theoutlet chambers in the base, a rotatable keg support mounted on saidneck and provided with upward extending keg supporting arms and withoutward and downward extending valve operating lugs, each of which isadapted to engage its corresponding valve-operating arm when the kegsupport is rotated in the proper direction, whereby when the keg supportis rotated in one direction one of the valves will be opened, and whenit is rotated in the opposite direction the other valve will be opened,a pair ot' screw plugs in the base, each plug closing an opening intoone of the inlet chambers, said plugs being larger in diameter than thevalves and maintaining the valve springs in place.

3. A keg washing machine comprising a base having two inlet chambers andtwo outlet chambers, each inlet chamber being in communication with itsoutlet chamber, valves between said chambers, springs normally holdingsaid valves closed, a valve stem connected to each of said valves andprojecting horizontally beyond the base, valve operating arms pivoted onthe hase, one of said arms engaging each of the valve stems, a keeper tohold said arms in eng: gement with the valve stems, an upward extendingtubular neck formed on the base and connected at its lower end with theoutlet chambers in the base, a rotatable keg support mounted on saidneck and provided with upward extending keg supporting arms and withoutward and downward extending valve operating lugs, each of which isadapted to engage its corresponding valve-operating arin when the kegsupport is rotated in the proper direction, whereby when the keg supportis rotated in one di rection one of the valves will be opened, and whenit is rotated in the opposite direction the other valve will be opened,and a stop on the base on the opposite side thereof trom the keeper andadapted to be engaged by the valve operating lug which is not inengagement with a valve operating arm when the keg support is rotated.

4. A keg washing machine comprising a base having an inlet chamber andan outlet chamber, a valve between them. said valve being in the inletchamber whereby the pressure in said chamber will force said valve toits seat, an outward extending horizontal valve stem connected to saidvalve and projecting beyond the base, a spring normally seating saidvalve, a horizontal valveoperating arm pivotod on the base and bearingagainst the end of the valve stem, a keeper to hold said arm inengagement with the valve stem, a rotatable keg support mounted on thebase, a valve-operating lug carried by said keg support said lug bei-ngnormally out of engagement with the operating arm but adapted to engagesaid arm and force it inward to open the valve when the keg support isrotated, and a nozzle connected to the outlet from the base and adaptedto deliver the washing fluid into the keg.

ln testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature in the presence oitwo witnesses this 20th day of December 1906.

GEORGE E. R. ROTHENBUCHER.

Witnesses WM. R. Davis, E. H. KAUFMANN.

